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Thoughts on the New Savage Axis???

I have been thinking about buying a new rifle for my wife. I have heard mixed reviews on the savage axis. Was wondering if any one has shot one or owns one and what they thought of it. I am on a budget, so buying a more expensive gun is sort of out of the question. If there are any other guns out there around the same price I am open for looking at them. I know there are a couple others out there. I just want the best gun I can get on this budget.

Everybody raves about savages, they say they are accurate. probably not a bad gun but how many competitions have they won? I go with proven weapons. You can get a Remington 700 adl on clearance with scope at Cabelas or Sportsmans for 400$. That's not bad.

Gotta agree with the Dr. Sure they're accurate, and they've bought they're way into the hands of some TV hunters, but they don't stack up in overall quality. Ever heard of anybody building a gun on a Savage action? Ever check the resale value? Ruger went through the same phase and kept bumping their price accordingly. Now they're the same price as Remington and Winchester, but still take a backseat to both. I know the Ruger and Savage lovers are probably getting all fired up, but it is what it is. I recently bought my first Ruger bolt action because I liked the Alaskan caliber and concept. Had to take a flat file and sandpaper to the bolt to clean off the metal shards and sharp edges. I'll agree that Remington isn't what it used to be, but I've owned 10 or 12 700's and every one shot good to excellent out of the box, had good fit and finish and the ones I traded fetched good money. Just one man's opinion.

I will look into the remington 700. Although i am not impressd with the problems people are having with the safety working incorrectly. Have a few buddies that have them and they fire when the safe is on sometimes. I am also a firm believer that in every competition and out hunting, its the person behind the gun that makes it accurate not the gun itself. Those people shooting those competitions are getting paid bigger money to shoot the guns they shoot. I am not against remington and will check out their prices. Just wanted to know if the axis is dependable and will last. I plan on testing out a few guns before purchasing.

I think the incompetent gunsmiths are to blame for safety malfunctions. As far as big money to shoot a rem is false. The actions are all built off of the 700 design but not made by rem for the most part. They shoot the 700 action because it is accurate and strong. Period. I am not taking anything away from savage. I can't say anything bad as I don't own one and haven't shot one. My buddy bought a new savage, he spent like 1400$ dollars on it, my 300$ adl shoots circles around it. It is not stock though. It is a stock barrel though. I have less money in my weapon than he does. Not by much. I have spent countless hours at the reloading bench though. Like I said. I am going to stick with what works and proven. Savage has come along ways these last few years though. I think mainly due to their advertising and stepping up their product.

Well to answer your question, I own the Savage Edge which is just the original name of the Savage Axis. The Savage Edge was just renamed the Savage Axis so it is the same gun were talking about. I love the price because you can get it with a scope for under $300. I have this gun in 30.06 and it shoots very accurate groups. The bolt is smooth and the trigger pull is nice. The safety works great. It is also a very tough gun and can take a beating. I've taken it on trips with rain, wind, sun, etc. and its done great. The real pro's of this gun is that it's cheap, tough, durable, and very accurate. I agree, the person behind the gun shooting is more important than the gun itself as far as accuracy goes. Last year I killed an elk with this gun and my dad also killed an oryx with it. It really is an excellent gun for the money!

I think you should also look at the Marlin X series line of rifles. They seem to be in the same price range you are looking for and I prefer them over the axis. For a little more money, the weatherby vanguard/howa is a very well made rifle for the price.

I have a Rem 700 that is factory and I shoot factory loads, (Federal). I took great care to break in the barrell properly and the gun is extremely acurate and reliable. I have no issues with the safety.